Moving-picture-exhibiting machine



G. W. BENNETT. MOVING-PICTURE EXHIBITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.2, I920,

Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

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G. W. BENNETT. MOYTNG PICTURE EXHIBITING MACHINE. APPLICATION FYILEDI JAN-2, I920. 1 426 344 v Patented-M522, 1922.

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APPLIGIATION FILED JAN-2,1920.

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v G. W. BENNETT. MOVING PICTURE EXHIBITING MACHINE. I APPLICATION FlLED MNJ, 19210. Lgfifi. P entedAu g-22,1922.

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GEORGE W. BENNETT, 0F QAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN F. MEYER, OF

CHIGAGO, ILLINOIS.

MOVING-PICTURE-EXHIBITING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

Application filed. January 2, 1920. Serial No. 348,875.

construction and convenient shape and design for exhibiting a moving picture film of a predetermined length and at a proper rate of speed.

The invention has other objects in view which'will be fully set forth and described hereafter in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating a selected form of the invention and referring to which- I Fig. 1 is an elevationof the machine with the front of the cabinet removed;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine with the top of the cabinet removed;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4 -4 0fFig.2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional View on the line 55 of Fig. 7 showing the parts in one position;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the parts in another position;

- Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a cabinet of suitable form and construction adapted to contain the film 2 and -the 0p erative mechanism and of a convenient height to permit applying the eyesto the eye-piece 3. A portion 4 o the top 18 hinged at 5 to permit accessto the cabinet for replacing the film and any suitable means may be provided for-locking this hinged top in place. A drawer 6 is located at the bottom of the cabinet to receive the coins and it may also be locked by any suitable means.

An electric motor 7 is supported upon a partition 8 above the drawer at the bottom of the cabinet and is supplied with current in any suitable manner. The armature of the motor carries a worm 9 which drives a worm gear 1Q on the main shaft 11 mountedapart on its continued movement.

in brackets 12 within the cabinet (Figs. 1,

3). A belt 13 is driven by a pulley 14 on the main shaft 11 and is trained around a pulley 15 on the counter shaft 16 which is supported in brackets 17 at the top of the cabinet. A worm 18 on the counter shaft drives a worm gear 19 on the vertical shaft shaft 20 which is supported in brackets 21 on the cabinet. A worm 22 on the vertical shaft drives a worm gear 23 on a horizontal shaft 24 which is supported in brackets 25 on the cabinet.

A coin chute 26 is supported in the cabinet with its end 26' projecting through the fixed part of the top so that a coin may be readily inserted. The lower end of the coin chute terminates adjacent a block of insulation 27 fastened to the cabinet and upon which the coin holder is mounted.

This coin holder (Fig. 9) comprises a pair of jaws 28, 28 pivotally mounted at 29 upon the block 27 between their ends and normally held against the stops 30 on the insulating block 27 above the pivots 29 by springs 31. The jaws are grooved at 32.to form a continuation of the coin chute and they are provided with outwardly projecting parallel lips 33.

coin releaser and circuit closer is mounted on the shaft 24 and it comprises a cross-piece 34 of insulating material capped at each end with a brass ferrule 35. The construction is such that as the shaft 24 rotates the ferruled ends" of the cross-piece 34 will be carried successively between the lips 33 of the jaws 28. The coin groove in.

the jaws tapers from the top to the bottom of the jaws so that a coin falling from the chute 26 into the jaws will be held suspended.

pered in straight jaws or the grooves may be straight and the stops 30 adjusted to permit the springs 31 to hold the lower ends of the jaws in closed juxta-position, thereby forming a tapered groove. The lips 33 are also arranged to form a tapered space therebetween so that the cross-piece 34 may readily enter between the lips and force them It will be readily understood that a coin deposited in the chute will pass down therethrough into the coin groove of the jaws and remain suspended thereinuntil the jaws have been separated sufiiciently to release the coin and permit it to drop into the chute 36 through which it passes into the drawer 6 (Flg. 3).

The film 2 travels between a fixed guide plate 37 mounted on the brackets 17 and an upper guide plate 38 which is hinged at 39 to the fixed guide plate. These guide plates have registered openings 38 and 39"therein which register with an opening 40 in a metal box 41 which contains an electric lamp 42. A face plate 43.is adjustably mounted on the hinged guide plate 38 to properly register the sight with the film. The hinged guide plate is provided with pin 44 which rests in a socket 44 in the bottom guide plate and assists in holding the hinged guide plate out of contact with the film (Fig. 8). A

latch 45 on the bottom guide plate holds the hinged guide plate in closed position.

The movement of the film is induced by the toothed feed roll 46 (Figs. 4, 7) loosely mounted on the counter shaft 16. A presser roll 47 is yieldingly supported on aspring arm 48 to bear upon the film and hold it in operative/engagement with the feed roll. The counter shaft 16 has a. continuous motion and the feed roll must have an intermittent motion in order that each exposure ofthe film may be temporarily registered at the sight opening. To accomplish this I provide a coil spring 49 on the counter shaft between the fixed stop 50 and one end of the feed roll 46 to press the other end of the feed roll against a washer 51 which has a bearing against a cam 52 rigidly mounted on the shaft 16 (Fig. 7). A pawl 53 is pivotally mounted at 54 on the partition 17 and it carries a pin 55 which is held in engagement with the cam 52 by spring 56. This pawl is arranged to engage a ratchet wheel 57 rigid with the feed roll 46. It will be noted that the cam is rigid withthe shaft and that the feed roll and its ratchet wheel are loosely mounted on the shaft and are driven by frictional engagement with the cam. When the pawl locks the ratchet the feed roll will be held stationary, but when the cam lifts the pawl out of operative engagement with the ratchet the; spring 49 will push the feed roll ratchet wheel against the washer 51 interposed between the ratchet end thereof and the cam with sufficient frictional engagement to impart the rotary movement of the shaft to the feed roll so long as the pawl is out of operative engagement with the ratchet. As the cam turns with the shaft the spring 56 will return the pawl to operative engagement with the ratchet wheel, thus stopping the movement of the feed roll ratchet wheel temporarily. Thus the film is fed intermittently and at such a predetermined rate of speed as is best adapted for exhibiting the pictures on the film.

I contemplate providing a wall socket 58 of any suitable character in the back of the cabinet for making connection with an ordinary lamp circuit. The motor circuit comprises the conductor wires 59, 60 and 61, the wires 60 and 61 being connected to the jaws 28 and the circuit between the jaws being established by the coin supported thereby and also by the ferrule on the end of the cross-piece 34. The lamp circuit comprises the conductor wire 62 which is connected to the wire 59 and the wire 63 which is connected to the wire 60, the two circuits being in parallel.

From the foregoing description it will be readily understood that the machine is entirely at rest until a. coin is inserted and as soon as the coin drops into the jaws the electric circuit will be established through the coin to supply current for operating the motor and illuminating the lamp. The motor actuates the mechanism for operating the film intermittently to display the complete picture on the film to the observer in a manner similar to the usual moving picture exhibition. Meantime the shaft 24 is rotating to carry one or the other end of the crosspiece 34 into operative engagement with the lips 33 on the jaws and eventually the crosspiece will separate the jaws sufficiently to release the coin and allow it to drop through chute 36 into the drawer. While the ferrule of the cross-piece remains in operative engagement with the lips on the jaws the electric circuit will continue to be estab lished even after the coin is released and the parts are timed so that the electric circuit will. not be broken until the film has been fully exhibited. As the feeding operation is intermittent the ratchet device will constitute, in effect, a stop device for preventing the film from overrunning at the conclusion of the exhibition and insure cessation of the feeding movement when the circuit is broken and the motor ceases to operate.

My invention is very simple in construction, it can be manufactured at low cost, it will not easily get out of order and it is especially adapted for use in the manner customary with coin-operated machines. I am aware that changes in the form and proportion and construction of parts may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages ofthe invention and I therefore reserve the right to make all such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the accompanyingclaims. v

I claim:

1. A moving picture exhibiting machine comprising a shaft and means for operating the same, a film actuating feed roll loosely mounted on the shaft, a ratchet device for temporarily locking the feed roll in stationary position, a cam rigid with the shaft for intermittently releasing the ratchet device,

and a friction element between the said feed-roll and said cam, and a spring pressing against said feed-roll remote from the cam to produce frictional engagement between said friction element and the cam and feed-roll.

2. A moving picture exhibiting machine comprising a shaft and means for operating the same, a film actuating feed roll loosely mounted on the shaft, a ratchet device for temporarily locking the feed roll in stationary position, a cam rigid on the shaft for intermlttently releasing the ratchet device, means operating endwise on the feed roll for effecting frictional engagement with the cam for imparting movement of the shaft to the feed roll when the ratchet device is released.

3. A moving picture exhibiting machine comprising a shaft and means for operating the same, a film actuating feed roll loosely mounted on the shaft, a ratchet wheel rigid with said roll, a spring-held pawl engaging said ratchet, a cam rigid on the shaft to withdraw said pawl from engagement with the ratchet, and a friction drive between said feed-roll and said cam, and means. to make said friction drive effective when said pawl is withdrawn.

4. A moving picture exhibiting machine comprising a shaft and means for operating the same, a film actuating feed roll loosely mounted on the shaft, a ratchet wheel rigid with said feed roll, a springheld pawl engaging said ratchet, a cam rigid on the shaft to withdraw said pawlfrom engagement with the ratchet, a washer on the shaft between the ratchet and cam, and a spring operating on the feed roll to frictionally engage the washer between the roll.

GEORGE W. BENNETT. 

